Idea in Brief
The Problem
Organizations often struggle to get apologies right. Many leaders fear that an apology could expose their firm to legal action; others offer a cursory “I’m sorry” without addressing victims’ concerns. Bungling an apology is costly, resulting in damaged reputations and relationships.
The Solution
Companies need clearer guidelines for determining whether a mistake merits an apology and, when it does, for crafting and delivering an effective message.
The Formula
Ask four questions: Was there a violation? Was it core to our promise or mission? How will the public react? Are we committed to change? Then think carefully about the who, what, where, when, and how of executing the apology.
The Washington Post called it “creepy.” The Atlantic said it “might have been illegal.” One privacy advocate wondered if it could have made people suicidal. Those were just some of the reactions to the disclosure, in June 2014, that Facebook had allowed academic researchers to manipulate the news feeds of 689,000 users for one week. The experiment, in which half of the users saw fewer positive posts than usual and the other half saw fewer negative ones than usual, was designed to determine whether the changes would cause people to write more positive or negative posts themselves. In fact, the researchers did find evidence of “emotional contagion” and published the results in a prestigious scientific journal. But their findings were eclipsed by the public outcry.
